9,751 people (2024 Census estimate, −1.7% since 2020)
1,051 square miles of land · 9 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
5 active community water systems list Runnels County in the area they serve, reporting 10,078 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF BALLINGER surface water · local government · TX2000001 | 3,583 served |
| NORTH RUNNELS WSC buys surface water · local government · TX2000005 | 2,766 served |
| CITY OF WINTERS surface water · local government · TX2000003 | 2,281 served |
| CITY OF MILES buys surface water · local government · TX2000002 | 920 served |
| ROWENA WSC buys surface water · local government · TX2000004 | 528 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 21 people were held in Runnels County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 29.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
4 school districts have their office in Runnels County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $15 million — $12.2 million to run schools, about $14,952 per student, plus $2.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.6 million local (mostly property tax), $6.7 million state, $3.5 million federal.
Spent $10.2 million — $9.3 million to run schools, about $16,547 per student, plus $502,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $5.2 million state, $2.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.5 million.
Spent $7 million — $6.3 million to run schools, about $12,311 per student, plus $361,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.9 million local (mostly property tax), $5.7 million state, $832,000 federal. Long-term debt: $6.6 million.
Spent $2.3 million — $2.1 million to run schools, about $15,879 per student, plus $85,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $226,000 local (mostly property tax), $2.3 million state, $451,000 federal. Long-term debt: $585,000.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Runnels County about $7 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
159 bridges in Runnels County: 70 in good condition, 83 fair, and 6 poor (3.8%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| CR 348 over DRAW · built 1950 | 50 vehicles a day |
| CR 370 over OAK CREEK · built 1960 | 35 vehicles a day |
| CR 339 over COYOTE CREEK · built 1960 | 26 vehicles a day |
| CR 371 over DRAW · built 1930 | 26 vehicles a day |
| CR 226 over VALLEY CREEK · built 1967 | 17 vehicles a day |
| CR 331 over WEST FORK BRANCH · built 1939 | 10 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $11.4 million of work in Runnels County in fiscal 2025, about $1,153 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Runnels County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Runnels County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Taylor County (32 mi) · Concho County (37 mi) · Coleman County (38 mi) · Coke County (38 mi) · Nolan County (41 mi) · Tom Green County (42 mi).